CGRP plays a shared role in both migraine and tinnitus pathophysiology, suggesting that anti-CGRP medications developed for migraine could potentially be repurposed for tinnitus treatment.
Shared CGRP pathwayBoth migraine and tinnitus involve CGRP signaling in the trigeminal and auditory nerve systems
What the researchers found
CGRP is involved in both migraine and tinnitus through overlapping neural pathways (auditory and trigeminal), and anti-CGRP medications may offer therapeutic benefit for tinnitus through the same mechanisms that make them effective for migraine.
Why it matters
Tinnitus affects 10-15% of the population with very limited treatment options. If anti-CGRP drugs can help, millions of tinnitus sufferers could benefit from medications already available.
How the study worked
Narrative review of CGRP's role in migraine and tinnitus pathophysiology, with focus on shared neurological pathways and therapeutic implications.
What this study cannot tell us
Narrative review with no clinical trial data for anti-CGRP drugs in tinnitus. The overlap between migraine and tinnitus mechanisms, while plausible, needs experimental confirmation. CGRP's specific role in tinnitus is not fully characterized.
How to read the evidence
Narrative review proposing a hypothesis based on mechanistic overlap. No direct clinical evidence for anti-CGRP drugs in tinnitus.
When this study was published
Published in 2025, proposing a novel therapeutic application for established anti-CGRP drugs.
The bigger picture
This represents a potential drug repurposing opportunity: applying the success of anti-CGRP migraine drugs to another common neurological condition that shares the same peptide-mediated pathways.
Questions still open
- Would clinical trials of anti-CGRP antibodies show benefit for tinnitus patients?
- Is the benefit limited to tinnitus patients who also have migraine, or could it extend to all tinnitus?
- Which anti-CGRP drug class (monoclonal antibodies vs gepants) would be more suitable for tinnitus?
Common questions
Can migraine drugs help with tinnitus?
Why do migraine and tinnitus often occur together?
Read the original research
Potential therapeutic role of calcitonin gene-related peptide medications for tinnitus.
Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA
Citation
Dichter, Abigail; Bhatt, Khushi; Gutiérrez Pérez, Martha Lucía; Lee, Ella J; Tawk, Karen; Djalilian, Hamid R. (2026). Potential therapeutic role of calcitonin gene-related peptide medications for tinnitus.. Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA. https://doi.org/10.1097/JCMA.0000000000001351